Rifle Barrel Cleaning

By
Jim Borden
Page 1 of 8
Copyright 2008 by Jim Borden

Rifle barrel cleaning seems to be
something that is approached like
witchcraft. I have read numerous
articles on the subject and as an
experienced rifle builder and
competitive shooter, I have become
very concerned with many of the
methods and materials that are
proposed for cleaning rifle barrels.
Some of the methods can cause undo wear to the barrel and some of the
materials that are suggested actually can damage rifle bores. This article
will address rifle barrel cleaning from the standpoint of a competitive
shooter and a hunter. The methods and techniques used in cleaning
competition barrels should be applied to cleaning custom hunting rifle
barrels. I will also address some of the differences in the techniques for
cleaning non-custom rifle barrels.
Our desires as competitive shooters and as hunters are very close to the
same when it comes to cleaning a rifle. We want to have the rifle maintain
its accuracy and precision while at the same time preserving the life of the
barrel. We also want the rifle to have a consistent point of impact after
cleaned. I have watched many competitive shooters laboriously scrub
their barrels between individual matches at a tournament and then watch
them fire 3 to 4 rounds on the next targets sighter bull in order to get the
rifle to settle down. After watching one of my close friends go through
this cycle at a Super Shoot, I asked him what he was doing. He said he
had always heard that the barrel had to be absolutely clean in order to get
the maximum accuracy out of the barrel. When I then asked why he was
shooting 3 to 4 fouler shots to settle down the point of impact, it was as
though a light bulb finally came on. He was shooting shots to lay down a
light layer of fouling to make the rifle shoot consistently.
Rifle Barrel Cleaning
By
Jim Borden
Page 2 of 8
Copyright 2008 by Jim Borden
A rifle should be cleaned every 15 to 20 shots and for maximizing the long
term accuracy potential of the rifle barrel, I would not ever recommend of
going beyond 30 rounds between cleanings.
I have found that it is actually harmful to maximum precision to clean the
barrel squeaky clean. The rifle barrel, like a finely tuned engine, must
maintain a protective lubrication layer to minimize fouling and maximize
precision. The procedures that I describe in this article have elements built
in to provide for that lubrication and boundary layer protection. The
procedures described here have been proven in the toughest of
competitive shooting sportsregistered Benchrest competition.
Proper cleaning of a rifle barrel requires some basic equipment and
materials. I highly recommend the use of 1 piece cleaning rods made out
of coated steel or uncoated stainless steel. I recommend stainless steel
IVY rods, Dewey Coated Rods and Bore Stix coated rods. A Stainless
Steel or plastic jag should be used on the rod so that a false signal of
fouling is not detected from the bore cleaner attacking a brass jag. The one
piece rods are very important to
having a good method to clean the
rifle without damaging the bore. The
cheap, jointed rods bend and flex
too much and the ones made of
aluminum or brass pick up grit and
mark the inside of the barrel. The
rod needs to be long enough to have a brush or patch clear the muzzle with
the handle still in a comfortable position at the rear. A good bore guide
should be used. The bore guide is intended to guide the rod straight
through the barrel to prevent barrel wear by the rod and to prevent fouling
of the trigger mechanism and bedding of the rifle with solvents. The high
quality bore guides are not universalone must be purchased for each
different chambering that you own. So, I would only recommend those to
the purists. There are bore guides available from suppliers such as Sinclair
International that can be used in many calibers and chamberings. One just
Rifle Barrel Cleaning
By
Jim Borden
Page 3 of 8
Copyright 2008 by Jim Borden
has to be more careful when using one of these as they do not control the
alignment of the cleaning rod as well. Phosphor bronze brushes work best
and I recommend the ones with a twisted brass core such as those
produced by Pro-Shot, RW Hart or Bald Eagle Precision Machine. Cotton
flannel patches cut to the proper size for the bore and jag should be used.
Butchs Bore Shine is my favorite
bore cleaning solvent followed by
Shooters Choice. I also use JB
paste to remove stubborn carbon
or copper fouling. Butchs
contains a small amount of
ammonia and if used properly will
not create barrel damage. I do
not recommend use of bore
solvents that are basically 28% ammonia hydroxide. Most custom barrels
are made of 416 R stainless steel and in the right circumstances exposure
of that steel to 28% ammonia can result in light corrosion of the steel that
will appear as minor pitting or hazing. Also, the 28% ammonia tends to
dry the steel and increases surface tension. This normally results in worse
fouling occurring after the first shot of the next
string of shots.
A cleaning stand should be used to steady the
rifle and position it so that the rod can be easily
guided through the bore in a straight manner. A
cleaning stand is illustrated here with a custom
hunting rifle mounted in it. Notice the bore guide
that has been inserted into the action to help
guide the cleaning rod. Try to position the
cleaning stand high enough and at an angle that
lets you easily guide the cleaning rod without
bending or bowing it.
Rifle Barrel Cleaning
By
Jim Borden
Page 4 of 8
Copyright 2008 by Jim Borden

First, lets investigate the procedure I
recommend for use with custom barrels
on bolt action rifles. The materials used
can be applied to lever rifles, pump rifles
and falling blocks-but other means
would have to be used to guide the
cleaning rod. First remove the bolt and
set the rifle up in a cleaning cradle or lightly clamp it in a padded vise to
hold the rifle steady. Select the appropriate bore guide for that individual
rifle and insert the bore guide in the action insuring it is positioned in its full
forward position. Select the appropriate sized cleaning rod and a patch that
will snugly fit the bore (for instance I use a 30 cal jag and 2 inch round
patches for 30 caliber rifles).
Saturate the patch with Butchs Bore
Shine and spear the patch slightly
off center and insert into the rear of
the bore guide and firmly run
through the barrel and let drop off
after it clears the muzzle. The
purpose of this first wet patch is to
push the loose powder and primer
residue out of the bore while at the same time wetting the bore so that the
brushing will do the most good. It is important that a wet patch is used as
the cleaning fluid is squeezed out of the patch and floats the material in the
bore ahead of the patch and helps prevent scratching the precision finish
on the inside of the barrel.
Wet a phosphor bronze brush of the correct caliber and make about 20
passes (count passes in both directions) through the barrel making sure
that the brush completely leaves the bore at end of each pass. Make sure
you position yourself and the rifle so that you do not bow or bend the rod
while making these passes. A bowed or bent or can touch the inside of the
Rifle Barrel Cleaning
By
Jim Borden
Page 5 of 8
Copyright 2008 by Jim Borden
rifle barrel and cause premature wear to the rifling that will adversely affect
its performance. Wet 2 more patches and run through the bore individually
to flush the loose material from the brushing out of the bore and to wet the
bore so that the solution can work on powder and jacket fouling. Now let
rifle set and soak about 15 minutes. Then run 2 dry patches through bore.
Put 1 small drop of Butchs Bore Shine or Kroil on a patch and spear with
jag and run through bore to lightly lubricate the bore. I do not recommend
using any gun oils or other such lubricants for this last step as most of them
have too high a viscosity and will leave too thick a lubrication film that can
actually cause hydraulic damage to the barrel when it is fired. The bore
should be damp, not wet when fired the first time after cleaning. Kroil is a
penetrating compound and will wet out a surface to ensure an even
lubrication layer. Sinclair International is a good place to get it and it is
often available at big truck stops. The last step after removing the bore
guide is to use a short handled action cleaning tool with a pistol swab
mounted on it to push a large patch into the chamber to remove any
cleaning compound that may have deposited itself there. If a chamber is
left damp it can cause the first shot to go stray and most of the time will
cause higher bolt thrust and the bolt will open hard.
If you believe the rifle to be badly fouled (or after about 5 normal cleaning
cycles), I then recommend that the barrel be lightly scrubbed with JB paste.
I do a normal cleaning as described above as a preparation for the
scrubbing with JB. I use a brush that is one caliber smaller than the rifle to
be cleaned to use as a holder for the JB paste Patch. Take a patch and
thoroughly impregnate with JB Paste, then wrap tightly on the brush. Insert
through the bore guide into the barrel and carefully scrub the barrel with
short, overlapping strokes that would be similar to a lapping process.
Once the crown of the barrel is reached, carefully push the patch out and
remove the brush and patch from the rod. Now run three to four patches
soaked in bore solvent through the barrel to thoroughly flush the paste from
the rifling. Run a couple of dry patches through the bore and then follow
Rifle Barrel Cleaning
By
Jim Borden
Page 6 of 8
Copyright 2008 by Jim Borden
with a patch that has a single drop of solvent on it to lightly lubricate the
bore.
Usually on a barrel that has been used quite a bit, the first shot after
cleaning will be very close to normal point of impact. However, to make
certain my rifles are ready for that all important first shot, I always foul the
barrel with 1 shot before hunting with it.
One consideration that many gun owners neglect after the cleaning of a
rifle is how to properly store the rifle. I recommend that rifles be stored
muzzle down so that any residual oils or cleaning solvents can run to the
muzzle and out of the bore. Standing a rifle on its butt for storage is asking
for trouble in the future. Cleaning solvents can run down the bore into the
chamber, bolt and trigger area. The cleaning solvents can gum with time
and cause faulty ignition or trigger latching problems.
I leave a light film of Kroil or Butchs Bore Shine in my Stainless Steel
barrels when they are stored and have never seen any damage. I would
recommend that chrome moly barrels be treated with an oil to help prevent
hazing or rusting. That oil should be wiped out with Kroil or Butchs Bore
Shine prior to taking the rifle on a hunt.
The above procedures are primarily intended to be used for high quality
custom barrels. The procedures may need to be modified for factory
barrels depending on the interior finish and tendency of the barrel to foul. I
do not believe in or recommend break in of high quality custom barrels
the ones I use and recommend are precision made and are finely lapped
as part of the manufacturing process. Factory rifles are a different story.
Some are button rifled and lapped, some are cut rifled and lapped, some
are rifled and unlapped and still others are hammer forged. Each
manufacturers process may differ and each rifle has to be considered
based on the feel of the barrel and the barrels behavior in terms of
fouling. When first obtaining a new factory barrel, insert a bore guide and
wet a patch with Butchs Bore Shine and pass through the bore carefully
with a tight fitting jag on a 1 piece rod. Note how the barrel feels. Try to
Rifle Barrel Cleaning
By
Jim Borden
Page 7 of 8
Copyright 2008 by Jim Borden
determine if there are rough spots or tight spots. If the barrel has the
feeling of loose and tight spots and/or feels rough, a thorough break in
procedure will be required. There have been many articles written on these
procedures in various magazines and I would recommend researching and
trying those methods. I do not however recommend the use of any 28%
ammonia hydroxide solvents in any of those procedures on stainless steel
barrels.
Until next time
Good Shooting
Jim Borden


Resources for obtaining items mentioned in article:
Borden Rifles
RR#1 Box 250BC
Springville PA 18844
570-965-2505
jim@bordenrifles.com
www.bordenrifles.com

Sinclair International
2330 Wayne Haven St.
Fort Wayne, IN 46803
800-717-8211
260-493-1858
260-493-2530 fax
Sales: sales@sinclairintl.com
Support: support@sinclairintl.com

Pro Shot Products
PO Box 763
Taylorville IL 62568
Rifle Barrel Cleaning
By
Jim Borden
Page 8 of 8
Copyright 2008 by Jim Borden
217-824-9133
www.proshotproducts.com


IVY Rods
Denny & DebMarie Phillips
9413 N County Road H
Edgerton, WI 53534
Telephone: (608) 931-0137
Email: denny@ivyrods.com
www.ivyrods.com

Bore Tech Inc
100 Emlen Way Suite #108
Telford PA 18969
215-799-2500
www.boretech.com